LIVERPOOL: Most Wanted Cocaine Smuggler Gets 14 Years Jail

One of Britain's most wanted fugitives, who plotted to smuggle up to 40 tonnes of drugs worth £4 billion into the country, has been jailed for 14 years.

Paul Scott, 32, from Vauxhall, Liverpool, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to conspiracy to import cocaine.

Scott had been on the run since 2010 and was captured last December when he returned to the UK from the Netherlands in a Cessna light aircraft which landed at the remote rural East Winch Airfield in Norfolk.
Passing sentence, Judge David Aubrey rejected his claim that he had come back to hand himself in and that he just wanted one more night with his family.
Scott was part of a 26-strong network which consisted of criminals from Liverpool and London working with overseas traffickers to import cocaine from South and Central America, along with heroin and amphetamine from Europe, said the National Crime Agency (NCA).
NCA officers used listening devices to monitor conversations between members of the network, carried out surveillance throughout the UK, and analysed masses of phone data.

Head of the network Paul Taylor, 58, from Liverpool, who was jailed for 22 years in 2011, told a criminal associate there was a stockpile of 40 tonnes of cocaine ready to smuggle inside shipments of tinned fish and wood pellets.

During another recorded conversation, Scott told Taylor that he and his cousin were able to provide transport for the network through a corrupt contact at a legitimate haulage firm.
NCA branch commander Greg McKenna said: "Scott was the last man outstanding in a plot to smuggle vast quantities of cocaine into the UK. Our determination to track him down and bring him to justice demonstrates our commitment to dismantling criminal networks from top to bottom."
Scott was also being sought by the Guardia Civil in Spain in connection with the murder of a British national.
The reportedly tortured body of Francis Brennan, 25, from Liverpool, who was on the run in Spain, washed up on the beach in Alicante last April after he was kidnapped by men posing as police officers.

Following today's hearing, Scott was arrested by Merseyside Police officers on a European Arrest Warrant.

CANADA: Pressure Mounts For Inquiry Into Missing/Murdered Indigenous Women/Girls

In an eagerly-awaited report on missing and murdered indigenous women in British Columbia, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)—a branch of the Organization of American States—has joined the increasingly clamorous call for a national inquiry to explore the roots and context of the problem.

“Indigenous women and girls in Canada have been murdered or have gone missing at a rate four times higher than the rate of representation of indigenous women in the Canadian population which is 4.3 percent,” the IACHR said in its report, which it researched in 2013.

The investigation was done before last year’s high-profile murders of 26-year-old Loretta Saunders and 16-year-old Tina Fontaine, and the brutal assault against 16-year-old Rinelle Harper, all of which have only increased the pressure for a national inquiry. In the absence of that, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), along with other indigenous leaders and the provincial premiers, are convening a National Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls on February 27.

The hope is that the federal government will send “key ministers” to meet with them and discuss the issue, according to the AFN. National leadership is indeed what is needed, said the Native Women’s Association of Canada, which called the IACHR report “groundbreaking.”

"This requires leadership from the government of Canada, since its leadership and participation is necessary in order to ensure nationwide coordinated, effective efforts," said Claudette Dumont-Smith, executive director of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, at a news conference in Ottawa on January 12, according to the Canadian Press. "This is what the government has—so far—not done."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has repeatedly ignored calls from numerous sources to convene a national panel to study the issue.
The investigation was done solely in British Columbia, because it has the highest number of missing and murdered indigenous women in the country. But the IACHR said its results could be extrapolated to the rest of the country, and that a wider context than simply the women’s lives is to blame.

“The lack of due diligence in cases of violence against indigenous women is especially grave as it affects not only the victims, but also their families and the communities to which they belong,” said the IACHR in a statement. “The IACHR stresses that addressing violence against indigenous women is not sufficient unless the underlying factors of racial and gender discrimination that originate and exacerbate that violence are also comprehensively addressed.”

Even though the basic causes have been acknowledged, more analysis is necessary, the report said.

“Canadian authorities and civil society organizations largely agree on the root causes of this situation, which are related to a history of discrimination beginning with colonization,” the IACHR said.

The international human rights body concluded with several recommendations focused on addressing the full context in which the violence occurs, stretching from shoring up land rights to combatting poverty in order to end the marginalization of Indigenous Peoples.

“Addressing violence against women is not sufficient unless the underlying factors of discrimination that originate and exacerbate the violence are also comprehensively addressed,” the report said. “The IACHR stresses the importance of applying a comprehensive holistic approach to violence against indigenous women.”

Improving education and employment, guaranteeing adequate housing and addressing the “disproportionate application of criminal law against indigenous people” are also on the list, since aboriginals comprise a high portion of prison inmates but serve on just a small number of juries relative to the portion of the overall population they represent.

Public transport should be provided along Highway 16, the IACHR said, alluding to the British Columbia stretch of road that is commonly referred to as the Highway of Tears for the number of aboriginal women who have disappeared or been killed along the route.

While acknowledging existing programs that try to address some of these underlying issues, the IACHR said those were a bit too piecemeal.

“The IACHR recognizes the existence of a wide variety of initiatives to address the situation of violence against indigenous women in Canada,” the report said. “However, based on the information received and analyzed, the IACHR strongly urges the need for better coordination among the different levels and sectors of government.
The IACHR stresses that both federal and provincial governments are responsible for the legal status and conditions of indigenous women and girls and their communities.
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OTTAWA - The Conservative government is resisting renewed calls for an inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women and girls despite a media report that suggests there may be hundreds more cases than previously thought.

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney was asked Thursday to finally call a inquiry in light of a report by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network that Canada may be home to more than 1,000 cases of murdered and missing women.

His answer, in short: no.

Instead, Blaney launched a partisan broadside against the NDP's refusal to support the government's budget bill, which includes a five-year, $25-million renewal of money aimed at stopping violence against aboriginal women and girls.

"As a father, I'm very proud to have supported more than 30 measures to keep our streets safer, including tougher sentencing for murder, sexual assault and kidnapping," Blaney said during question period.

"And Mr. Speaker, I will stand in this house and support the $25-million strategy for aboriginal and missing, murdered women."

Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett questioned how the Conservatives can continue to resist an inquiry in the face of so many unresolved cases.

"This media report says the government's own numbers show nearly a doubling of known victims of what was already a national tragedy," she said in a statement.

"How can a government that refuses to call a national inquiry, in the face of these shocking statistics, claim that they are tough on crime or supportive of victims?"

The broadcaster cited an unnamed source Wednesday in a report that said the Mounties have now identified more than 1,000 cases of missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls — significantly more than previous estimates, which had pegged the tally at more than 600.

The RCMP arrived at the new number after contacting more than 200 other police forces across the country, APTN reported.

The Mounties would neither confirm nor deny the report Thursday.

Supt. Tyler Bates, director of national aboriginal policing and crime prevention services, referred questions to the RCMP's media relations office in Ottawa.

Spokeswoman Sgt. Julie Gagnon said the RCMP report is not finalized and it would be premature for her to comment further.

"The RCMP is currently completing a national operational review to gain the most accurate account to date of missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada," Gagnon wrote in an email.

"This initiative will help the RCMP and its partners identify the risk and vulnerability factors associated with missing and murdered aboriginal women to guide us in the development of future prevention, intervention and enforcement policies and initiatives with the intent of reducing violence against aboriginal women and girls."

The APTN report also said the Department of Public Safety is sitting on a copy of the RCMP report, which the network says was supposed to come out March 31. Public Safety has yet to respond to questions.

Earlier this year, the RCMP said it completed a "comprehensive file review" of more than 400 murdered and missing aboriginal women and girls within its jurisdiction, and would keep looking into other outstanding cases.

Briefing notes obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act show the national police force has reviewed 327 homicide files and 90 missing-persons cases involving aboriginal females.

The Native Women's Association of Canada has said it is aware of even more cases of murdered and missing aboriginal women and girls than the RCMP tally.

President Michele Audette said her association is now looking into whether it would be feasible or possible to take the federal government to court to try to force a national inquiry.

"There's little bees at the office trying to find out if it's possible. If it is, I think we should challenge," Audette said in an interview.

"It's a human-rights issue. We do it for salmon. We do it for corruption ... how come we don't have the same thing for missing and murdered aboriginal women?"

It has long been estimated that there are hundreds of cases of missing and murdered aboriginal women dating back to the 1960s.

A United Nations human rights investigator called that statistic disturbing last year during a fact-finding visit to Canada in which he also urged the Conservative government to hold an inquiry.

James Anaya, the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, said a national inquiry would ensure a co-ordinated response to the problem and allow the families of victims to be heard.

Read more:
LINK:
http://www.indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/01/13/inquiry-missing-and-murdered-aboriginal-women-canada-needed-iachr-158674
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Dublin: O'Hara Murder Trial Delayed For Two Days: UPDATED/Trial Report Links

The trail of the man accused of the murder of Elaine O'Hara, whose remains were found at Killakee in the Dublin mountains a year after she vanished has been delayed by two days.

 Graham Dwyer is charged with murdering Ms O'Hara at Killakee, Rathfarnham, Dublin on August 22/2012.
A jury of seven men and five women has been sworn in to hear the trial of architect Graham Dwyer for the murder of Ms O'Hara in August 2012.

TRIAL REPORT: LINKS:
www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/criminal-court/graham-dwyer-trial-elaine-o-hara-told-her-father-a-married-foxrock-architect-tied-her-up-1.2077013
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www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/criminal-court/graham-dwyer-trial-my-urge-to-rape-stab-or-kill-is-huge-you-have-to-help-me-control-or-satisfy-it-1.2075399

Mr Dwyer, from Kerrymount Close in Foxrock in Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder.
Ms O'Hara's remains were discovered on Kilakee Mountain in Rathfarnham in Dublin on 13 September 2013, more than a year after she was last seen.

The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt told the jury members this looked likely to be a long and difficult case.
He warned them not to have their heads turned by external matters.
He said they did not need to look at court reports as they were in court and would hear everything that happened in court.
Opinion and colour pieces in the newspapers were valueless, he added.
He told them between now and the end of the trial, they should ignore all other opinions that they hear and see in the media.

They were the ones deciding the case, the judge said.
Judge Hunt said they should put aside any notions of sympathy and focus on the evidence.
He also told them not to discuss the particulars of the case with anyone else.
The jury members were previously told the case would be difficult for anyone who was particularly squeamish.
www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/graham-dwyre-trial-will-not-begin-until-thursday-1.2072415
 
Senior Prosecuting Counsel Sean Guerin is now due to outline the prosecution case to the jury on Thursday morning.
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THE prime suspect in the Elaine O'Hara sex game killing was arrested in a dawn raid at his plush home yesterday.

Detectives investigating the suspected brutal murder were last night questioning a dad of two after they swooped on his property in Foxrock at 6am.

The 41-year-old suspect was arrested and taken to Blackrock Garda station where he is being questioned over the murder of the childcare worker, whose body was found dumped in the Dublin mountains.

Detectives also carried out searches at the home he shares with his wife and two young children where they removed his computer and inspected his car.

A source said: "He was arrested during a dawn raid. He is the father of two young children. By all accounts he is seen by the outside world as a very happily married man.

"He works as a partner for a well-known Dublin-based firm. He is by no means the kind of person you would imagine to be arrested for murder.

"His arrest must have come as a terrible shock to those who know him."

The raid on the suspect's home was ordered after gardai trawled through murdered Ms O'Hara's phone and internet records.

Tech-savvy officers have examined the suspect's phone and now believe he was in regular contact with Ms O'Hara shortly before her disappearance.

He was previously questioned by gardai but it is believed gardai identified discrepancies in his story. The source said: "It's believed he had met Ms O'Hara on a number of occasions.

"There were a number of contacts made between him and Ms O'Hara by both phone and email. The man in question was interviewed by gardai a while ago but his account of events on the dates of Ms O'Hara's disappearance and afterwards did not match up.

"When gardai crossreferenced what he had told them with his phone records there were a number of inconsistencies in his story."

The Irish Mirror has learned the suspect had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital following the discovery of Ms O'Hara's remains and gardai had to wait for clearance from doctors before they could arrest him.

He is being held at Blackrock Garda station under Section Four of the Criminal Justice Act and can be questioned for up to 24 hours. Another source said: "This man was admitted to St John of God's psychiatric hospital shortly after Ms O'Hara's discovery where he was treated for mental health issues.

"Gardai were keen to question him further about the murder but wanted to wait until he was released."

Ms O'Hara disappeared on August 22, 2012, after visiting her mother's grave in Shanganagh cemetery, South Dublin.

Some of her remains were discovered 13 months later at Kilakee Mountain, Rathfarnham and a full-scale murder probe was launched from Blackrock Garda station.

Coincidentally, the 36-year-old's bag and a number of bondage items had been discovered in a dried reservoir three days earlier.

Gardai believe she came in contact with her killer on a popular fetish website and the pair had met up a number of times before she vanished.

Ms O'Hara's mother died in March 2002, aged just 52, and the death rocked their entire family.

Elaine was released from hospital where she was being treated for depression just a day before her disappearance.

Her Fiat Punto was found there two days after she vanished, leading gardai to speculate she didn't travel to Roundwood alone.

Gardai initially believed Elaine's death was a result of a personal tragedy but last September 13 there was a major breakthrough in the case when a woman out walking her dog discovered part of her remains. A tibia and a fibia, a scapula, a fragment of pelvic bone and a jawbone with some dental work were recovered in the search. Clothing was also found scattered in the vicinity of s tp the bones, including a pink sock, a size-six runner and a fragment of black tracksuit bottom.

Dozens of families of missing women were contacted to warn them about the discovery but it wasn't until September 17 that dental records confirmed they were Elaine's.

Her dad Frank and siblings Ann, Frank Jnr and John were told the news at their home in Killiney, South Dublin.

Her bones showed no sign of a stab or bullet injury and the hyoid bone - which is located in the neck and often breaks in strangulation - is missing.

One theory is that Elaine died during a violent sex game after bondage materials, including hand and ankle cuffs and ropes, were discovered dumped alongside Elaine's belongings 20km away from her body.

The items were discovered in Vartry reservoir near Roundwood, Co Wicklow three days before her remains were found.

Ms O'Hara was described by her family as a popular woman, but was understood to have been vulnerable and had been treated in hospital for depression.

She was also described as a trusted childcare assistant and worked in a newsagents in Blackrock. On the day she went missing, she had volunteered to work at the Tall Ships Festival in Dublin city centre.

The man who was arrested yesterday is an avid internet user and was in regular contact with his pals on social networking site Facebook in recent days.

It is believed he is a successful professional who previously graduated from the National University of Ireland.

Elaine's father Frank said he was aware of the arrest but declined to comment further.

Her family have also been told they may have to wait several more weeks before they can bury her.

Gardai have revealed a funeral service cannot be held until well into November, due to ongoing searches of the area where Elaine's remains were found.

Timeline of events after tragic care worker disappears

AUGUST 22, 2012

5.05pm: Elaine O'Hara is spotted near her apartment at Belarmaine Plaza, Stepaside in Dublin.

On the same day at 6.15pm Elaine was seen close to a footbridge which crosses the railway at Shanganagh Park in Shankill.

The site is a short distance from her mother Eileen's grave.

AUGUST 23, 2012

Elaine's father Frank reports her missing to Stepaside Garda station.

AUGUST 24, 2012

3pm: The woman's car, a Fiat Punto with an 05 reg, is located by gardai at Shanganagh cemetery in Shankill.

AUGUST 25, 2012

1.52pm: Gardai issue a nationwide appeal for help in locating Elaine.

She is described as being 5ft 4ins, stockily built with mousey brown hair.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

A caretaker discovers a bag in Knockraheen reservoir close to Roundwood, Co Wicklow.

Inside he finds anklecuffs and handcuffs, other restraints and Elaine's keys.

The bag is handed into gardai who log its discovery on the Pulse system.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2013

7.30pm: A woman walking her dog in Killakee Mountain, Rathfarnham, South Dublin, discovers skeletal remains.

Gardai are called.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

3.30pm: The remains are identified as Elaine's with the use of dental analysis.

Blackrock gardai take control of the investigation.

YESTERDAY

A 41-year-old man is arrested in connection to Elaine's murder.

His arrest must have come as a shock to those who knew him SOURCE YESTERDAY 20km The distance away from Elaine's body in which her belongings were found
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